I usually dont play with a dampener and i can feel the vibrations running through the handle and once i put it i dont feel any vibrations on the handle. I think it kinda makes a difference but will it actually reduce arm pain/tennis elbow?

The prevailing theory of the day is that what hurts the arm is mostly the shock and not the vibration from the hit, and that vibration dampeners only take out the ping and have no effect on reducing the shock.

Most people would cite Technical Tennis to frown upon people who think that vibration dampeners provide enhanced comfort.

But I say you should do what you feel is the best for your arm. If your arm feels better when you use the dampener, do it, and don't worry about what others say.

Remember, science isn't always successful at "busting myths," and there's often a pretty good reason why myths develop. For example, many posters here have used Technical Tennis to make fun of people who felt that they could produce more spin with poly strings than with typical multis and synthetic gut. Little did they know that the author(s) of Technical Tennis would later change their position and produce scientific evidence to support the phenomenon that polys do indeed enhance spin.

At any rate, I find that gel-filled worm-type dampeners such as Gamma Shock Busters do a great job at enhancing comfort and Babolat RVS which is pressed against the frame even reduces some of the frame shock and vibration.

The prevailing theory of the day is that what hurts the arm is mostly the shock and not the vibration from the hit, and that vibration dampeners only take out the ping and have no effect on reducing the shock.

Most people would cite Technical Tennis to frown upon people who think that vibration dampeners provide enhanced comfort.

But I say you should do what you feel is the best for your arm. If your arm feels better when you use the dampener, do it, and don't worry about what others say.

Remember, science isn't always successful at "busting myths," and there's often a pretty good reason why myths develop. For example, many posters here have used Technical Tennis to make fun of people who felt that they could produce more spin with poly strings than with typical multis and synthetic gut. Little did they know that the author(s) of Technical Tennis would later change their position and produce scientific evidence to support the phenomenon that polys do indeed enhance spin.

At any rate, I find that gel-filled worm-type dampeners such as Gamma Shock Busters do a great job at enhancing comfort and Babolat RVS which is pressed against the frame even reduces some of the frame shock and vibration.

I usually dont play with a dampener and i can feel the vibrations running through the handle and once i put it i dont feel any vibrations on the handle. I think it kinda makes a difference but will it actually reduce arm pain/tennis elbow?

"In conclusion, we found no evidence to support the contention that string vibration dampers reduce hand and arm impact discomfort."

"Increased racket head size as well as a higher resonance frequency of the racket were found to reduce arm vibration."

"The exception to the larger racket head size rule was the Wilson Prostaff
St. Vincent 85 square inch racquet, which, when coupled with a tourna
vibration dampener and lead tape at 3 and 9 O'clock, ball feel was increased
while vibration was decreased. Using this combination, the participants
were also observed to hit the ball more cleanly near the center of the
sweetspot, further reducing vibration versus other rackets."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radicalized

National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health

"The exception to the larger racket head size rule was the Wilson Prostaff
St. Vincent 85 square inch racquet, which, when coupled with a tourna
vibration dampener and lead tape at 3 and 9 O'clock, ball feel was increased
while vibration was decreased. Using this combination, the participants
were also observed to hit the ball more cleanly near the center of the
sweetspot, further reducing vibration versus other rackets."

The prevailing theory of the day is that what hurts the arm is mostly the shock and not the vibration from the hit, and that vibration dampeners only take out the ping and have no effect on reducing the shock.

Most people would cite Technical Tennis to frown upon people who think that vibration dampeners provide enhanced comfort.

But I say you should do what you feel is the best for your arm. If your arm feels better when you use the dampener, do it, and don't worry about what others say.

Remember, science isn't always successful at "busting myths," and there's often a pretty good reason why myths develop. For example, many posters here have used Technical Tennis to make fun of people who felt that they could produce more spin with poly strings than with typical multis and synthetic gut. Little did they know that the author(s) of Technical Tennis would later change their position and produce scientific evidence to support the phenomenon that polys do indeed enhance spin.

At any rate, I find that gel-filled worm-type dampeners such as Gamma Shock Busters do a great job at enhancing comfort and Babolat RVS which is pressed against the frame even reduces some of the frame shock and vibration.

Great post. I just bought the worm style Wilson Shock Shield vibration dampeners. Wow does it mute the string bed! It does feel a little more comfortable on the arm for me. I've never used dampeners until last year and each player should evaluate whether they seem to help their arms or not.

I like vibration dampeners, if for nothing else than the sound the racquet makes when you hit the ball with one in vs. without one.

Do they help beyond that? I don't know. I haven't played enough without one to make a judgment. I certainly don't feel like they're hurting me.

What makes a good one? To me, its one that will consistently stay on the racquet. I've lost a few that fell off while hitting, but I think I know what to look for now. The ones I have now aren't likely to come out without me taking them out.

Oh yeah...don't like the worm dampeners. Or the Wilsom Shock Trap - I'd group it with worms, but who knows.

I like vibration dampeners, if for nothing else than the sound the racquet makes when you hit the ball with one in vs. without one.

Do they help beyond that? I don't know. I haven't played enough without one to make a judgment. I certainly don't feel like they're hurting me.

What makes a good one? To me, its one that will consistently stay on the racquet. I've lost a few that fell off while hitting, but I think I know what to look for now. The ones I have now aren't likely to come out without me taking them out.

Oh yeah...don't like the worm dampeners. Or the Wilsom Shock Trap - I'd group it with worms, but who knows.

Try the babolat custom damps theyre in a square shape and you can custom it to dampen most of the vibration or some of the vibration so you could still feel the ball

Try the babolat custom damps theyre in a square shape and you can custom it to dampen most of the vibration or some of the vibration so you could still feel the ball

I find that I can adjust the amount of feedback getting to my hand by just sliding the damp or elastic up and down the middle two mains, below the lowest cross string. Babolat's custom damp sounds gimmicky to me.

Babolat dampeners - like everything else they sell - are too expensive, when you can get something comparable for less money. That's why I generally do not even consider purchasing anything from Babolat outside of a racquet. The racquet prices are just like everyone elses, but it seems to me that all their dampeners, grips, strings, etc. are just a little higher than most everyone else.

Babolat dampeners - like everything else they sell - are too expensive, when you can get something comparable for less money. That's why I generally do not even consider purchasing anything from Babolat outside of a racquet. The racquet prices are just like everyone elses, but it seems to me that all their dampeners, grips, strings, etc. are just a little higher than most everyone else.

Loony damps are pretty cheap if you can find them, and they are great dampeners.

I do find the dampner reduces vibration and seems to cut down on discomfort.

A sound wave (like any wave) is a phenomenon which transports energy from one location to another without transporting matter. So when you have a dampener, you reduce the energy by eliminating some of the sound waves. As sound wave move through a medium, each particle of the medium vibrates at the same frequency. Thus using a dampener reduces the vibration, which in fact dampens the object